Florida bill would curb kids' tanning-salon use

Lawmakers want to cut youths' risk of skin cancer later in life

March 10, 2010|By Fernando Quintero, Orlando Sentinel

Nancy Evans of Mims used to be a devoted sun worshipper.

As teenagers, she and her younger sister would spend hours on the beach or under a sun lamp "until we fried ourselves." Then about 15 years ago she discovered a reddish spot on her face. It turned out that she and her sister had skin cancer.

"It was kind of an addicting habit. It was enjoyable to lay out; the warmth of the sun made me feel good," said Evans, now 56, who grew up in Clearwater and works as a nurse in Titusville. "It was hard to change, but I stay out of the sun now."

Indoor tanning is out of question — but not for Evans' teenage daughters.

"With teen girls, they want to have a tan," she said. "Tanning beds are really popular."

A bill making its way through the Legislature would prohibit minors 13 and younger from going to a tanning salon and prohibit those ages 14 to 17 to tan without written parental consent witnessed by a tanning-salon owner or operator. Current law provides that anyone younger than 14 must be accompanied by a parent, and those 14 through 17 must have parental consent on file.

"The scientific evidence is overwhelming: Tanning machines cause cancer," said Sen. Eleanor Sobel, D-Hollywood, the Senate bill's sponsor. "It's time we acknowledge the dangers that tanning machines pose to young Floridians."

The bill passed the Senate Health Regulation Committee unanimously and passed the Senate Judiciary Committee after Sobel agreed to amend her bill. It is before the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services Appropriations, which will review the bill before it's sent to the Senate floor for a vote. A House version of the bill was introduced by Rep. Rick Kriseman, D-St. Petersburg.

"I think the bill is a good idea," said Oviedo High School senior Victoria Persampiere, 17. "[Indoor tanning] is strongly marketed to teens. Plenty of my friends make the decision to go tanning. If parents had more oversight over this, it might deter a lot of young people."

The Florida Society of Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery is standing behind the proposed "fake bake" law designed to minimize health risks associated with indoor tanning.

"We're seeing a rise in melanoma in younger patients. Many of these younger patients have a history of visiting tanning salons," said Dr. Clifford Lober, a Kissimmee dermatologist and member of the Florida group. "There is growing evidence that the ultraviolet [UV] radiation may damage the skin and increase the risk of developing skin cancers like melanoma."

Malignant melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, is the most common cancer among 25- to 29-year-olds and the second-most-common form of cancer among 15- to 29-year-olds, Lober said. He cited data from the World Health Organization that showed that the use of tanning beds before age 35 increases risk for melanoma by 75 percent.

"This is a problem that is hitting our youth," Lober said.

Local tanning-salon operators say the new measure is unnecessary because state law already requires parental permission for minors, and that more and more younger people are choosing spray tanning — a trend made popular on television shows such as MTV's Jersey Shore.

"If they have parental consent, anyone should have the freedom to be allowed to tan," said Jo Anne Dovale, manager and owner of Manhattan Tanning Co. in Orlando. "Personally, I have two teenage daughters, and I don't let them use tanning beds because their skin is so young. I think most parents would not intentionally let their younger children tan. I recommend to them spray tanning, a safe alternative that I allow for my own daughters."

The Indoor Tanning Association disputes what it calls "misleading" claims made about indoor tanning by the WHO and other health organizations.

"The bottom line is you can find a study to back any position you want to take," said association spokesman John Overstreet. "There has been controversy over the WHO study. There is no study that definitively links indoor tanning and melanoma."

Overstreet said it was appropriate to have parental consent for minors who want to use indoor-tanning facilities, but said his organization takes exception with Florida's proposal to ban any minors younger than 14 from tanning salons.

"A minor getting a tan should be a decision of parents, not government," Overstreet said. "It flies in the face of common sense. With indoor tanning, you have two levels of supervision for minors: parental supervision and people trained to operate the equipment and make recommendations on appropriate exposure to UV light."

Connor Bailey, a 17-year-old junior at Oviedo High, called the bill "unnecessary," saying he sees little difference between indoor tanning and being exposed to Florida's perpetual sunshine.

"Kids who want to get tan are going to do so one way or another," he said, "whether it's going to a tanning salon or staying out in the sun."

But health experts such as Lober say stricter indoor-tanning regulations for minors are necessary.

"There is no such thing as a safe tan," Lober said. "For young people, the lack of awareness about the dangers of UV exposure coupled with feelings of infallibility puts them at higher risk."